A/N- 300 REVIEWS! Thanks for everyone whose stopped to read and give their opinions! In a few chapters this story should be wrapped up. So I'll thank everyone (once again) for their support along the way.
Rebloxic- Thanks for your reviews and Shel's death took longer than I though it would to write. Well, I'd want them to have emotional deaths rather than "Nick" deaths.
Bubbles2k100- Thanks for giving me my 300th review. (Feels like I've hit another milestone) and I the suspense is only going to increase.
Martial Arts Master- Thanks for answering the question and I've been trying to look up this Lexi Porter and eurgh... is all I can say. I think her wishing death upon Kenny's voice actor just told me all I needed to know. But if it's true that her (and others) who shipped "Cluke" were one of the reasons the developers decided to kill off him off, then screw the Cluke shippers.
AquaDestinysEmbrace- Yep, poor Shel and as for your story I liked the Dylan and Anne moments, it was nice to see them opening up to each other.
Lockdown- I seem to have caused a lot of "feels" with the last chapter. I feel like Telltale now.
Maximo- Thanks, the 400 days characters (after their minimal roles in episode 3) were just sitting there almost begging for a fanfic to come along and do something with them. I couldn't miss that opportunity.
Eggomypeggo- Feeling like Stephanie in the last chapter then? Anyway thanks for your review and continued support!
Stephanie ducked down and fired into the shelves above her, Clementine doubted she hit anyone in her grieving state.
"Damn! We can't run back to the armoury without getting torn to pieces!" Luke yelled, gazing around at the raindrops of bullets, that slowly ripped chunks from the tiled floor. From behind them, the fire in the room, jam packed with meds was beginning to roar, as the smoke grew darker and thicker...
"Thanks to that crazy fuck, if we get injured now. Were finished" Luke spat.
"Well let's not get injured then. What have you got on you?" Jane asked, as Luke looked down at the meds he had managed to grab in the madness.
"Pills...a few bandages...a bottle of peroxide... a few syringes and a small bottle of painkillers" Luke told them helplessly, as he gazed at the open armoury door for a few seconds. Before he ducked back into cover, as a few bullets whizzed past where his head had been a few seconds ago.
"Fuck, no one's around the armoury door. They must have branched out somewhere!" Luke was trying to control his chattering teeth, as he glanced around wildly. Yet, as he panicked, Stephanie remained seemingly tranquil, Clementine was about to ask her if she was "alright". (She doubted it would help, but she had to try). However before Clementine could stutter a single syllable, Stephanie herself spoke up.
"Give me the meds" she demanded of Luke in a deadpan voice.
Judging by what they had just heard, no one wanted to disagree with a blood splattered Stephanie. Luke handed her the meds almost instantly, as the fell into her hands. She sighed and looked up.
"Okay, now cover me" she instructed them, before (just like her best friend did minutes before) she sprinted off to certain death.
"SHIT!" Jane screamed.
"STEPHANIE!" Luke roared.
Out of the two of them, Clementine retained her senses, she didn't yell for Stephanie's safety. Instead she shot for it. Clementine simply aimed her dual pistols and fired upwards, it was hard to hit them, as the guards had amassed small barricades at the top of the shelves to protect themselves. Yet with Clementine's suppressing fire, they crouched behind their little barricades for a little while longer, allowing Stephanie to sprint between the shelves towards the armoury door.
Luke and Jane quickly regained their senses and upon seeing Clementine shooting they aimed their rifles upwards and fired rapidly. Stephanie disappear safely into the armoury doorway. Just as a body hit he floor, Clementine couldn't be sure on which of them had shot down that woman. But she lay dead on the floor regardless.
With Stephanie safe, the three of them quickly dived behind their shelf once again, as bullets rung against the steel on the other side. "Fuck. Stephanie scared the shit outta me" Jane hissed, as she glared to the celling "Honestly after everything Shel did to save her. She wants to disregard her own life? Just like that? She's turning into a loose cannon" Jane explained as Clementine couldn't help but nod in agreement. She was sure Stephanie didn't want to kill herself, it was just when people grieved... they acted differently.
"Luke, you okay?" Jane asked, turning to him. Luke ran a hand through his blackened hair and groaned "Fuck... fuck... that was me"
"What was you?" Clementine felt inclined to ask.
"It was me. I fired and I know it was me who shot that woman dead... it's just... fuck. This isn't who I wanted to become" He muttered sadly gazing at the floor, as guilt tore through his body.
"Luke!" Jane begun harshly as she approached her "boyfriend", crouching over him, she forcefully lifted his head, so his eyes were locked on her's.
"Look at me! Don't let the guilt eat away at you! Not now! We don't need to linger on moralistic bullshit! It's kill or be killed, we can deal with all the other shit later! But not now! If you wanna stay alive you gotta do this!" Jane seemed to almost seemed to be pleading with him.
"She's right Luke, we don't have a choice" Clementine added.
With this, Luke's eyes finally lifted, as he licked his dry lips nervously and finally muttered (in a quiet voice) "I don't like it. But I'll... I'll do it"
"Good" Jane said warmly, as she patted his back. Inhaling deeply, Luke's former posture (and tone of voice) returned, as he quickly peered his head around the shelf, before ducking it back in again.
"Okay, any ideas?" he asked of the two females behind him.
"We could try lay a suppressing fire and running to the armoury" Clementine suggested, as Luke shook his head.
"Nah, too risky" Luke told her.
"We could just stay here and keep shooting" Jane suggested, of course Luke was going to agree to that suggestion. As he told the pair of them "Well, that sounds like the only thing we can do right now" But as he said this Jane gave him a hard stare.
"Luke, the pen's just back there. We could..." Jane began, as Luke gazed backwards.
"We could find cover in the pen!" Clementine piped up, but when Luke gazed down at her sadly, she knew that wasn't the answer.
"Clem... if things start going badly. There's a loose plank in the barricade in the pen. We'll use that to get outta here, should things go badly" Luke tone of voice, was that of a beggar, pleading for money.
"Are you suggesting we just abandon everyone!?" Clementine spat out angrily as Luke flinched.
"No, I'm just sayin'..." Luke begun, before Jane suddenly yelled "MOVE!"
There was no time to react, Clementine had only just got up to run. When something to her left exploded violently. She covered her head as the intense and seering heat from the explosive burnt back of her arms too a raw red colour, the shockwave of the explosive also sent her flying backwards and she hit the wall harder than she expected, feeling the wind get knocked out of her, she fell to the floor in a heap.
Her vision was shaky, her ears were ringing violently, so much so that the distant sounds of Luke telling her to "RUN!" felt like they were coming from the other end of a tunnel. Luke kept bellowing things, but she couldn't locate where he or Jane were...it was madness. A shelf (the one she Luke and Jane had been hiding behind previously) collapsed to the floor due to the force of the explosion.
Whoever was on top of it, were stumbling around, their guns still in hand, as they violently charged at the opposing force. A fresh wave of screams reached Clementine's bleeding ears. Yet she still couldn't concentrate on anything... her vision still blurred, her head felt like it weighed a ton... the actual noises of the raging rebellion seemed muffled in her still ringing ears...
She was however aware of a hulking black silhouette, stumbling her way... no not stumbling her way. Stumbling towards her. Directly towards her. His meaty hands were outstretched, as he breathed in and outwards heavily...
There was no time to waste, using all of her willpower. Clementine managed to get herself to her weak feet, as she stumbled blindly into the pen.
The man shouted something inaudible behind her.
"Loose plank... loose plank... loose plank..." was all Clementine could think, remembering how Luke had mentioned it too her before. Mere moments ago, she sprinted towards the barricade and quickly began to dislodge, bits and bobs of wood blindly...
The man was approaching her. She could tell even if she couldn't hear his footsteps.
Eventually a small plank came loose, it collapsed dully to the floor, as Clementine ducked down and crawled under the small space easily. It was only then (as the buzzing in her ears abruptly stopped) she was released from her somewhat hazy state. She realised then that her cap was absent from her head and that her dual pistols weren't in her hands.
"Fuck..." she swore, glancing around the empty car park quickly, she saw approaching walkers falling into the trench. For now she was safe from them. But soon there would be too many for the trench to deal with, and what was worse is that Clementine didn't have a single thing on her too protect herself with.
She heard a crashing behind her, the large black bearded man was squeezing through the tiny space. With a crash he pulled through and shot a hate fuelled glance at Clementine. The 11 year old had no time to think, only to turn away from him and sprint across the bare gravel. Unsure of where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from him.
It didn't work, the man was faster. She could hear him gaining on her, his deep breaths causing goosebumps to shoot up her spine. She tried closing her eyes and running as fast as she could, but when she felt the man's chunky fingers drag her back by the shoulder. She knew it was game over.
He was armed with a large gun and a hunting knife, but had not used them for some reason. as Clementine fell to the floor (upwards and facing him) as he grinned down at her.
"Don't run pretty little thing" he told, as a drop of his saliva, landed squarely on Clementine's nose. With this she clasped her eyes shut and tried to struggle from his grip.
"Don't struggle. Bill wants you alive. So I'll send him too you alive, but I reckon I'll have to stop you from struggling, and learn to enjoy... my company" he finished darkly, as he used his one hand to slowly pull down the zipper on his trousers...
Stephanie tore back into the armoury, she saw Wyatt still bent over a now unconscious Eddie. Mike was bent over in the corner while Russell and Vince shot out and up onto the shelves.
"Did you get the meds!?" Wyatt bellowed at her.
"Here" she muttered dropping them into Wyatt's hands, Wyatt was instantly using the supplies to help his friend. Stephanie knew it was better not to interrupt him, as she pulled her gun at once again and joined Vince and Russell.
"What's going on? Where is everybody!?" She yelled, as Russell fired at the top of the shelves.
"The others all took off! Wyatt's been looking after Eddie! Mike over there, just... well he froze up. I can hardly blame him" Vince said sympathetically, as Mike seemed to be rocking on the spot. Holding his pistol to his chest.
Not knowing what on earth had come over him. He had dealt with the worst fires possible back in his old job and now here he was. Frozen up, his heart hammering away on his ribcage like a jack-hammer. As much as he willed his limbs to move, each extra burst of gunfire, or another dull explosion caused him to shrink into himself.
"Fuck... fuck... fuck..." were the only panicked words that sprouted out from his voicebox.
"Where are the guys that went with you!?" Vince yelled back, as Russell stop firing for a second and ducked back behind cover.
"Clem, Jane and Luke are back there!" Was all Stephanie yelled, she wouldn't dare mention Shel. Yet when she didn't, Vince did.
"Where's Shel!?" He asked.
Stephanie didn't reply, as she felt familiar tears sting at her eyes, as Vince gazed fully at her blood drenched and broken form, as the truth hit him hard.
"No, not Shel!" He begged of her. His face sinking, as Stephanie slowly nodded. For a minute Vince couldn't breathe... he froze in place. Sensible, level headed Shel. The woman he spoke too so much. The woman he admittedly had a crush on, he always thought she'd be one of the last one of them standing. After all that time they spent together in their camp...
She was gone. Dead.
Her and Becca were now both dead.
"Fuck... just fuck..." Vince stuttered, aware of his voice getting smaller and more broken with each word he uttered.
Russell heard the news, as did a nearby Wyatt. Russell let it sink in, before he fired back at the Carver's guards with more rage in his gut than had ever been present before. Whereas Wyatt quickly returned to patching up Eddie. Trying hard not think about Shel, the only thing he could do was move his hands over Eddie's wound to ensure his friend wouldn't meet a similar fate.
After a minute of grieving, the trio did what they had too. Which was too regain their senses and fire back at Carver's guards, they would have to mourn for Shel later on. As for now they had no time to waste and a rebellion to win.
"How many are there...?" Russell began to ask, before Vince quickly screamed "MOVE!" He flung himself at Russell. Saving the young man's life, as the explosive went off in the middle of the door, as bits of debris soared past where Russell's head had been moments before. Stephanie fell backwards just in time as well, as the explosive that just went off, made the whole store shake and Vince heard the colossal sound of the large shelves collapsing in the distance.
"Thanks man" Russell complimented him, as Vince smiled at his young friend, the aftermath of the explosion, Russell used this too his advantage to fire up into the shelves at Carver's stunned guards. He must have killed two of them in quick succession.
"VINCE! I GOT THEM!" He yelled in triumph.
Vince cracked another small grin. The tide seemed to be changing.
And then it went off.
The explosive had been purposely thrown towards the armoury door. No one heard of saw it, so when it went off, Vince could say he was fairly surprised as he fell back. His ears were buzzing, but too his relief, the explosive hadn't broken down the wall to the armoury, he stood up to find Stephanie gazing back at him, but no Russell in the doorway.
Vince found that odd, but he thought it was nothing to worry about. Until he heard a pained choked noise. He turned back.
His heart stopped.
Russell was standing there, gasping in shock. His wide eyes found Vince's. As Russell was standing in the doorway the large piece of shrapnel from the explosive had impaled his chest. Vince felt his whole world fail... Shel... now Russell... no. Russell seemed to stand there with that shard sticking right through him, for a torturing geological age.
Russell finally seemed to fall to the floor, a look of shock evident in his wide black eyes, as Vince suddenly rushed forward and held the dying boy in his arms.
"No... Russ" Vince was sobbing openly now, as his tears fell onto the dying form of Russell.
"I... should have never... have... joined... this rebellion..." Russell choked, as blood poured from his mouth, and tears fell freely from his cheeks as well. He was scared and he was in agony. As his smaller hand seemed to stop the circulation in Vince's larger one. But Vince didn't try to pry him off, instead he squeezed Russell's hand tighter.
"Don't say that Russ... c'mon. You'll be fine. There's still a lot more we need to do... you can tell me more about crazy Nate. You never got around telling me all the details. and what about...?"
"Vince" Stephanie croaked.
Vince looked down, Russell was dead. His eyes were wide and open and his corpse laid slack in Vince's arms. Vince wasn't even aware of when he died, or how it had happened so suddenly. But now, Russell's grip on his hand was gone.
Shel, Russell. Both were dead.
Vince was their leader. He had failed them.
"But... this wasn't meant to be him! It was meant to be me! IT WAS MEANT TO BE ME!" Vince roared collapsing, weeping his heart out into Russell's chest. He had saved Russell's life moments before he was fatally hit. That should have saved him. Why was Russell dead? It had happened so fast, it hadn't processed with Vince yet.
He broke down completely, roaring in inhuman grief. Wyatt couldn't stop from patching up Eddie, but tears now slid down his freckled cheeks as well, as he tried to wipe them away.
A gunshot could be heard from the armoury, Stephanie had to make sure Russell didn't come back. She had done Shel this favour and now Russell.
Vince looked up. Stephanie stared at him, blood drenched and broken. He was also broken, as he slowly placed Russell's now truly dead corpse on the ground. Eddie was still probably going to die. Wyatt was crying openly. Mike sat in the corner more fearful now ever, as he rocked backwards and forwards with increasing speed. After seeing Russell dead on the ground... he could hardly breathe.
To Vince it was already over.
His next, wordless, grief stricken scream, could be heard all around the store.